‘Chasing Ice’ film looks at coal, global warming

Showings, with discussion, set for Thursday, Saturday

Friends of the Columbia Gorge and the Power Past Coal Coalition will host a free showing in The Dalles and Hood River of the award-winning National Geographic movie “Chasing Ice.”

The movie features spectacular film footage showing the impact of warming temperatures on glaciers and ice fields world-wide.

Reception and show times are Sept. 26 at Columbia Gorge Community College, Lecture Hall in Building 2, third floor, and Sept. 28 at Columbia Center for the Arts CAST Theater.

Both nights, doors open at 6:30 p.m. for social time, followed by 7 p.m. presentation, and a public discussion and workshop for the Longview hearings until 9 p.m.

According to a review by the New York Times, “The film, full of stunning images in addition to being timely, documents the work of James Balog, an environmental photographer who, spurred by an assignment from National Geographic, became determined to capture a visual representation of climate change.”

As reviewed by Rotten Tomatoes “His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.” The show is made possible with help from the National Geographic Channels.

After the showings, short workshops will be given to those who wish to stay, on how to make comments about the Longview, Wash., coal terminal proposal, which is currently open for public input. Public hearings are being conducted in Pasco, Wash., on Oct. 1 and in Vancouver, Wash., on Oct. 9. Comments may also be sent by email to: comments@millenniumbulkeiswa.gov.

In The Dalles the showing is being sponsored by Columbia Gorge Community College and attorney Katy Young. In Hood River the showing is being sponsored by attorney Scott Frank, the Waucoma Club, Big Winds and Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort.